Sunday, August 20, 2023 — London Team Hotel — 7:30 AM BST

Demien woke while the hotel room stayed dim around him, and the dull weight of the Tottenham match sat in his legs from the thirty-five minutes he’d played at full intensity.

The goal was everywhere online though the result still bothered him because United only drew, since Wolves had proven he could change a match at Old Trafford while Tottenham proved he could do it away from home, yet the question outside the club kept getting louder.

Why was he still on the bench?

Inside the club only one question mattered—whether Ten Hag trusted him enough to start.

He checked a few messages before putting the phone down.

Isabella had written that she saw the goal and was proud, though her words focused more on whether he was eating and resting properly the way she always did. Sophia’s message was lighter, teasing that the shot looked too angry to stay in the air.

Demien smiled briefly, yet the mood around the squad breakfast kept him grounded.

United hadn’t won. The players weren’t miserable though nobody celebrated either, because Bruno looked restless while Casemiro stayed calm and Rashford remained quiet, and Ten Hag moved through the hotel like Tottenham already belonged to yesterday.

Demien understood the difference between a personal statement and a team result, since his goal mattered though it hadn’t given United three points.

Sunday Afternoon — Return To Manchester — 2:00 PM BST

United traveled back from London in a subdued mood while players recovered in their own ways—some slept, some watched videos, some sat quietly with headphones.

Demien sat near the window where clips of his goal kept spreading online, though he didn’t replay them over and over because that wouldn’t change anything.

One pundit clip caught his eye when it appeared in his feed, and the discussion had shifted from whether he could handle the Premier League toward whether Ten Hag was being too cautious by keeping him benched.

He locked the phone before the noise could settle too deeply in his head, since public praise was useful only if it didn’t become impatience.

Monday, August 21, 2023 — Carrington Training Centre — 10:00 AM BST

Back at Carrington the squad moved into recovery while starters did bike work with mobility with physio checks with massage tables with ice baths.

Demien had played enough minutes to feel the load though not enough to be treated like a full-match starter, so he joined a mixed recovery and light conditioning group.

The system activated with a small recovery mission.

「MISSION: RECOVERY + CONDITIONING」

«Complete recovery protocol»

«Light conditioning without fatigue drop»

«Maintain technical sharpness»

«+8 TP»

«+5 MP if optimal recovery»

Demien completed the work cleanly through the bike sets, the mobility drills, then a short possession rondo that kept his touch sharp.

Bruno couldn’t resist a comment during the rondo. "You’re making the bench look like a weapon, you know that?"

"Whatever works," Demien said while playing a one-touch pass.

Rashford added his own. "That goal was nasty. The dip on it."

But Casemiro’s comment mattered more when it came. "Goal was good. But the second-ball recoveries changed the match first. That’s what fixed it."

That distinction mattered because the senior players noticed the work rather than just the highlight.

The system confirmed completion.

「RECOVERY COMPLETE」

«Recovery: Done»

«Fatigue drop: None»

«Sharpness: Maintained»

«+8 TP»

«+5 MP (optimal status)»

«Balance: 586 TP | 346 SP | 858 MP»

Monday, August 21, 2023 — Carrington Analysis Room — 11:30 AM BST

Ten Hag gathered the squad for analysis, then started with Tottenham’s goal rather than Demien’s equalizer.

He showed the central turnover when Mount’s pass was intercepted, the weak reaction to the second ball, plus the space Tottenham attacked before United could reset, and the room stayed quiet because the point was obvious.

"This is how we lose matches," Ten Hag said while pausing on the turnover. "One bad pass becomes a goal because nobody reacts to the second ball. This must stop."

Only after dissecting the problem did he show Demien’s entrance.

He paused the duel Demien won after coming on, then the interception that killed a counter, then the long switch that stretched Tottenham, before finally reaching the goal.

"The goal was the highlight," Ten Hag said. "But these actions before it changed the game. The recovery, the switch, the discipline. That is what mattered."

Then he corrected Demien too.

Late in the match Demien had stepped toward the ball too early during one Tottenham recycle leaving a narrow passing lane behind him, and though nothing came from it Ten Hag froze the frame.

"Against a sharper team this costs a goal," Ten Hag said while pointing at the gap. "You jumped when you should have held. Same lesson as before."

Demien accepted the correction without defending himself because the manager wasn’t refusing to praise him—he was refusing to let him become comfortable.

Monday Afternoon — Outside Carrington — 1:00 PM BST

After analysis the media pressure grew while reporters waited outside Carrington asking about Demien, and fan channels debated the lineup while headlines repeated the same question in different forms.

"Two games, two statements: when does Walter start?"

"Ten Hag refuses to rush United’s £62m midfielder"

"Super-sub or starter? The Walter question grows louder"

Marco called while Demien drove home.

"Don’t let the outside noise make you impatient," Marco said without dramatics. "Public pressure can help you. But it can also make you look entitled inside that dressing room if you start acting like the fans have already given you what the manager hasn’t."

"I understand."

"Good," Marco said. "Because the second you start behaving like you’re owed a place, the senior players notice. Keep working. Let Ten Hag decide on his timeline, not the headlines."

"I’m not chasing it."

"I know you’re not," Marco said. "Just keeping you ahead of it."

The call ended quickly because Marco never stretched a point past where it needed to land.

Monday Night — Temporary Apartment — 8:30 PM BST

That evening Demien spoke with Sophia when she called, and she’d seen the goal though she didn’t spend the call worshipping the moment.

"You sound tired," she said.

"A bit."

"Not just physical though."

"No," Demien admitted. "Everyone outside wants me starting. It gets loud."

"How’s the company?" he asked.

"Made another hard decision today," Sophia said. "People are waiting to see if I fail. Success didn’t make things easier—it just made people watch more closely."

Demien understood that completely now. "Same here. The better I do off the bench, the more they expect."

"Don’t let them rush you into becoming what they want," Sophia said.

"Ten Hag’s making sure that doesn’t happen," Demien replied. "He won’t move faster than he thinks I’m ready for."

"Maybe that’s good," Sophia said. "Even if it doesn’t feel like it."

The call ended warmly, giving him a quiet moment away from the football noise that had filled the whole day.

Tuesday, August 22, 2023 — Carrington Training Centre — 9:00 AM BST

The next day preparation for the next match began, and Ten Hag announced nothing though the training groups told their own story.

For the first time Demien was placed in the main tactical unit for a longer phase beside Casemiro and Bruno.

The system activated.

「MISSION: TACTICAL PREPARATION」

«Complete tactical session»

«Maintain positional discipline in team-shape drills»

«4 progressive passes without losing possession»

«4 defensive actions»

«+10 TP»

«+10 MP if no tactical correction»

This session wasn’t about tricks or highlights because Demien had to show he could start, which meant spacing with discipline with scanning with responsibility before flair.

He supported Casemiro when United lost the ball, gave Bruno clean angles without occupying his space, then chose the correct pass instead of the most dramatic one each time.

「LEGENDARY SKILL ACTIVATED」

Claudio Marchisio — Balanced Engine

His movement covered both phases during one extended sequence—dropping to receive after a turnover, releasing quickly, then pushing forward to support the next attack without leaving Casemiro exposed.

He completed the progressive passes through timing plus body shape rather than force, and he recorded his defensive actions by reading danger early instead of chasing tackles.

「STATS ACTIVE」

Stamina: 85 | Positioning: 86

Ten Hag watched without offering special praise, though he also found nothing to correct.

The system completed.

「PREP COMPLETE」

«Session: Completed»

«Progressive passes: 5»

«Defensive actions: 4»

«Corrections: 0»

«+10 TP»

«+10 MP (no correction)»

«Balance: 596 TP | 346 SP | 868 MP»

Tuesday Night — Temporary Apartment — 7:00 PM BST

That evening Demien hosted a small group at his apartment—Bruno and Rashford, with Casemiro stopping by briefly before heading home.

The apartment still looked temporary so Bruno noticed immediately.

"You live like someone ready to move out tomorrow," Bruno said while looking around the bare living room.

Rashford spotted the same thing. "No personal stuff anywhere. Where’s your life?"

"Found a house last week," Demien said. "Paperwork’s going through now. Marco’s handling the negotiation. This place was always temporary."

"Where?" Rashford asked.

"Quiet area near Carrington. Nothing flashy."

Bruno shook his head. "Of course it’s quiet. You’d hate anywhere with people."

They ordered food and the conversation moved easily between them while the television played a replay of the weekend’s other fixtures in the background.

"That goal was filthy, by the way," Rashford said while reaching for his drink. "The keeper didn’t move until it was already past him."

"Got lucky with the dip," Demien said.

"That wasn’t luck," Bruno cut in. "You hit that on purpose. Don’t be modest, it’s annoying."

Demien shrugged though the corner of his mouth moved.

The talk drifted to the next match when Bruno’s tone shifted slightly into something more serious. "Spurs sat off us at the start and we still struggled. Whoever we get next won’t make that mistake. They’ll come at us early."

"They always do at the moment," Rashford said. "We start slow, they smell it."

Casemiro had been quiet but he spoke before standing to leave. "The problem isn’t the start. The problem is what happens when we lose the first ball. Everyone watches it instead of reacting." He looked at Demien. "You fixed that on Saturday. That’s why you’re in the picture now. Not the goal."

"Heard that already today," Demien said.

"Then hear it twice," Casemiro replied while pulling his jacket on. "It matters more than people think."

He left after that, and Bruno watched him go before turning back to Demien with a grin.

"He likes you," Bruno said. "That’s three full sentences. He gave me two in my whole first month."

Demien laughed properly for the first time that evening, and the apartment felt less temporary with people in it even if the walls were still bare.

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 — Carrington Training Centre — 9:00 AM BST

The Chapter’s answer waited on the preparation board the next morning where the staff had posted the tactical groups for the final rehearsal.

Demien checked it while other players filtered past.

Casemiro. Bruno. Walter.

For the first time his name wasn’t sitting outside the main shape or floating between groups—it was written inside the midfield structure for the final tactical run-through.

Nobody said he was starting. Ten Hag announced nothing.

But the message was clear enough for Demien to understand.

He stood in front of the board for one second longer than necessary before stepping away so nobody could read too much into his face.

Wolves had opened the door. Tottenham forced it wider. Now the starting shirt was close enough to touch though not close enough to claim.

The question still hung over him as he walked toward the pitch—could he prove he wasn’t just the best answer after a match broke open, but the right answer from the first whistle?